Noeman w



(No Model.)

N. W. STEARNS 81; T. J; HOLMES.

GULINARY FORK 0R DOMESTIU IMPLEMENT.

No. 268,138. Patented Nov. 28, 188.2

INVENTORG.

N, PEYERS. Pholo-Lithugmphur. Walkinglon. DJ;

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMANW. STEARNS,OF WASHINGTON, n. 0., AND THOMAS J. HOLMES, F BOSTON, MASS, ASSIGNORS TO ROSWELL W. TURNER, or BOSTON, MASS.

CULlNARY FORK OR DOMESTIC IMPLEMENT.

SP1i.CIFICA'LION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,138, dated November 28, 1882.

Application filed August 17, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NORMAN W. STEARNS, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, and THOMAS J. HOLMES, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Culinary Forks or Domestic Implements, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying 1o drawings, making part of this specification, in

which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with our invention, the pressure of the forefinger being applied to open its jaws. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through thesame, thejawsbeingclosed. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 00 00 of Fig. 2.

()ur invention relates to thatclass of imple- 2o ments designed for culinary or other domestic uses, &c., and provided with jaws by which various articles may be grasped and removedas, for instance, olives, pickles, or fruit from a bottle or jar,-hot coals or cinders from a fire,

2 5 or vegetables, meat, or other articles of food from a pot in which they are cooked.

Our'invention has special reference to certain improvements in the construction of the device described in Patent No. 211,357, and

0 our invention consists in a tube inclosiug a rod surrounded by a spiral spring, in combination with apair of toggle-arms connected with a pair of jaws for operating the same.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the manner in which we have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents a cylindrical tube, having a collar, a, secured to its I .0 lower end.

B B are a pair of jaws, each consisting of a series of curved tines or prongs, I), the upper ends of the jaws being pivoted to the collar to at points a diametrically opposite.

5 Extending transversely across theinnerside of each jaw, and secured to oppositely-located bent portions, d, thereof, is a small rod, 0, Fig.

-3, to which is pivoted the lower end of one of a pair of toggle-arms, O (J, the upper ends of these arms being pivoted at f to the lower end of a cylindricalrod, D, extending up within the tube A, which serves as a handle.

' The upper end of this rod is reduced in diameter, or turned down smaller from g to h, this reduced portion being surrounded by a spiral spring, k, the bottom thereof resting on a collar, 73, secured inside the tube, and the top of the spring abutting against the under side of a sleeve, I, provided with an enlarged head, m, the sleeve being held in place upon the rod by upsetting or riveting its upper end thereover, and being free to slide on the outside of the upper end of the tube, on the application of pressure exerted by the hand or finger (see Fig. 1) against the resistance of the spring k. l

The spring is prevented from displacing this sleeve from the tube by the upper end of the large portion of the rod striking against the collar 13. When the head of the sleeve is pressed upon by the finger or palm of the hand the rod is pushed in the direction of the arrow, so as to advance its lower portion out from the mouth of the tube, carrying with it the toggle-arms O G, which are thus caused to separate from each other and approach a. straight line, whereby the two tined or pronged jaws are made to open in a position ready to catch over the article which it is desired to lift, the removal of the pressure on the head of the sleeve releasing the spring and causing the rod to return into the tube, thus bringing the toggle-arms into their original position and causing the jaws to grasp firmly the article, which can then be lifted and transported to the desired place.- 7

n is a cylindrical collar or projection, located on the outside of the tube A, at such distance from the head of the sleeve as to afford a convenient hold or stop for the finger and thumb when pressure is applied to depress the sliding 9o sleeve, whereby the slipping incident to a tube of even diameter (having a smooth exterior) is entirely avoided. This feature, however-to wit, the collar or projection n on the outside of the tube-forms no part of our invention, but 5 will be described and claimed, as also a different arrangement of the toggle-arms and other parts of the implement, in an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed simultaneously herewith. I00

Our within-described implement is adapted for various domestic and other uses, and in its application thereto the length and diameter of the tube and its inclosed rod, the length of the toggle-arms, as well as the curvature and size of the jaws, may be readily changed and the tines or prongs of the jaws omitted without departing from thespir'it of ourinven- (ion. An implement of sufficient size, constructed as described, will answer as a good substitute for the ordinary fire-tongs. The upper end of the tube may be closed and provided with longitudinal slots diametrically 0pposite for the passage of a cross-bar or handle resting on and for the purpose of compressing the spring; but we preferthe construction first described.

We claiml. The tube A, rod D, spiral spring in, and a device for compressing the same, in combination with the toggle-arms G O and jaws B NORMAN W. STEARNS. In presence of- S. M. PooL, D. P. GoWL. Witness my hand this 14th day of August, 1882.

THOS. J. HOLMES. In presence of- J 0s. F. WiLsoN, JAS. W. CHAPMAN. 

